Dowel guide and holder.



R. MOB.

DOWEL GUIDE AND HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31, 1913.

1985,4634. Patented Jan. 2'7, 1914.

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coLumalxpuNndnAm-l co.,wASHlNGroN n c UNITED STATES PATEN OFFICE.

RUDOLF MOE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN IN DUSTRIAL COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DOWEL GUIDE AND HOLDER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RUnoLr Mon, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dowel Guides and Holders; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved holder and guide for the connecting rods, ordinarily known as dowels, between the tone action and the pedal action of pianos for transmitting motion from the pedal action to the tone action, the holder and guide being provided to hold the connecting member or dowel in its proper position and to guide it in its movement. It is usually provided with a bushing made of felt or like material to prevent contact of the rod against the metal part of the guide and thereby avoid disagreeable grating noise due to such contact.

' The object of the invention is to provide an exceedingly simple, inexpensive and effective guide for the purpose. and the inven- Specifieation of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 31, 1913.

tion consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective, broken-away view, illustrating the improved guide and the parts directly associated therewith. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the guide. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the head or eye of the guide with the connecting rod or dowel therein. Fig. 4: is a similar view looking from the opposite side of the guide and dowel. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an axial section of the guide head with the rod therein. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the sheet metal members. two of which form the complete head. Fig. 8 is a plan view of another form of guide head.

As shown in the drawings, 10 designates a lever constituting part of a pedal action of a piano and 11 designates the connecting rod or dowel which is connected at its lower end to the lever 10 and is adapted to be connected at its upper end to a suitable part (not shown) of the controlling mechanism Patented Jan. 27, 191 .1. Serial No. 757,756.

of the damper rod, hammer rail, mutller or other part of the piano action, designed to be operated or controlled by the pedal action.

12 designates as a whole the improved guide which is provided at one end with means for attaching it to a suitable or convenient part of the piano casing or frame, as at 13, and is provided at its other end with a hollow head 14t through which the rod or dowel 11 extends. The shank 15 of the guide is preferably made of heavy sheet metal of a thickness to give a desired stiffness thereto, and is provided with screw holes 16 through which the attaching screws 17 extend by which the device is fixed to a support. The particular shape of the shank depends upon the location of the support 13 relatively to the rod or dowel. When the shank is attached to a horizontal support. as indicated in Fig. 1, it will be twisted between its ends as shown at 18 so as to bring the terminal 19 which supports the guide head into a vertical, edgewise position.

The head 141 is composed of two generally similar members 20, best shown in Fig. 7, each consisting of a oylindric, ring-like portion 21, and a stem 22. The stem of each member is of channel cross section to fit over the edge of the portion 19 of the shank, one of the flanges 23 of each stem being made wider than the other flange 24 thereof, as best shown in Figs. 5 and 7. Each of the said ring-like members 21 is provided at one edge with an inturned flange or shoulder 25 and at its other edge with an integral spac ing lug 26. the latter being parallel to the axis of said ring member. The said members are shown in Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive, as each made from a single piece of sheet metal stamped or swaged to form. The wider flange 23 of one of the stems of the guide head members is positioned at the side of the shank opposite the wider flange 23 of the other stem member and when said members are assembled on the shank the free margin of the wider flange of each stem abuts against or faces toward the free margin of the narrower flange of the other stem. as most clearly shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. Said stem members may be fastened to the shank 19 by means of a rivet 27 which extends through the holes 28 in the wider flanges and through the shank. The spacing lugs 26 of the ring members of the head are spaced from each other, as indi cated by comparison of Figs. 3 and 4, the

stitute confining means which confine the bushing 30 within the chamber formed in the hollow head or eye. The said bushing may, and preferably will, be made of a continuous strip of felt or like material of a length to snugly fit in the head when bent to form a ring. In this manner the bushing may be readily applied to the head and may be readily removed therefrom and, when in the guide head, is reliably held in place.

The guide head or eye shown in Fig. 8 is made of a single piece of metal, the central part or which constitutes the head 32 and the ends of which constitute the two .part stem 33, 33 which embraces the terminal 19 of the shank and is fastened thereto by the rivet 3 4. In this construction the ring member is flanged at 35 to constitute retaining means for the bushing 30 and said flanges continue outwardly to the ends of the two part stem.

The guide and holder is light and strong and may be made at small cost. It will be understood that the details of construction are capable of some variation within the spirit and scope of the invention, beyond those described and shown. For instance, the head part shown in Fig. 8 may be made of two parts instead of a single part. The invention is therefore, not limited to the constructions shown, except as hereinafter made the subject of specific claims.

I claim as my invention 1. A device for the purpose set forth comprising a shank and a hollow, sheet metal, two-part guide head, each uide head part consisting of a ring mem ber, formed at one edge with a shoulder, and an integral stem for attachment to the shank, the two parts of the guide head being so assembled as to form a chamber to receive a bushing, the walls of said chamber being inturned to constitute means for holding said bushing within the chamber.

2. A device for the purpose set forth comprising a shank, a hollow, sheet metal, twopart guide head, each head part consisting of a stem member for attachment to the shank and a ring member having its outer edge formed with a shoulder, and a bushing within the ring confined therein by said shoulders of the ring members.

3. A device for the purpose set forth comprising a shank and a hollow guide head comprising two similarly shaped sheet metal parts, each comprising a stem member for attachment to the shank and a ring member formed with a bushing retaining shoulder, each of said ring members being provided with a spacing lug to space it from the other ring member.

a. A device for the purpose set forth comprising a shank and a hollow guide head comprlsing two similarly shaped sheet metal parts, each comprising a stem member for attachment to the shank and a ring member formed with a bushing retaining shoulder, each shank being of channel cross section, with one flange thereof wider than the other, substantially as described.

5. A device for the purpose set forth comprising a shank and a hollow guide head comprising two similarly shaped sheet metal parts, each comprising a stem for attachment to the shank and a ring member formed with a bushing retaining shoulder, each of the said ring members being provided wit-h a spacing lug to. space it from the other ring member and each stem being made of channel cross section to fit over the shank, with one of its flanges wider than the other, and said stems bemg assembled with the wider flange of one stem abutting edgewise against the narrow flange of the other stem, and attaching means extending through said shank and wider flanges.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 20th day of March, A. 1913.

RUDOLF \Vitnesses G. DoWLn, Tnno. H. LUNnE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by. addressing the. Commissioner of liatents. Washington, D. G. 

